Or Download for... Mac or Windows​ABG Rush is a video game funded by an Innovation Grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that aims to teach nursing students about Arterial Blood Gas Analysis. ABG Rush is the product of a year-long collaboration between both Quinnipiac University's School of Nursing and the Game Design and Development program. ABG Rush was presented at the New Careers in Nursing Annual Conference in 2015. I was the Lead Developer of this game.

Purpose

ABG (Arterial Blood Gas) tests measure the acidity (pH) and levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood and the results are used to diagnose respiratory and metabolic issues in patients. Students sometimes have trouble piecing together patient symptoms with their corresponding ABG test values.

This is where ABG Rush is really useful. Students can put down the books and play for 10-15 minutes at a time and cement the association between ABG test results and their corresponding symptoms.​

Gameplay

At its core, ABG Rush is a time-management game. The player must help an endless stream of patients by reading their recent history, checking their vital signs and symptoms, making an initial assessment, requesting blood-work and finally giving a diagnosis.

​Players are scored based on their accuracy assessing and diagnosing patients as well as managing their time efficiently.

Details and Learning

Several details are provided with each patient to assist the player with their assessment and diagnosis. These include highlights from their recent history, vital signs, and their current symptoms. This allows nursing students to apply what they have learned in their studies and apply them to realistic situations.

In the case that a player needs some assistance, or a quick refresher on the material and how to accurately diagnose a patient, a reference desk and practice mode are available. These modes, the player is able to look up information on specific topics and practice diagnosing random ABG test results. And while the play mode provides a way to use the popular Tic-Tac-Toe method to assist with diagnosing, the player also has access to Value sliders while in practice mode or the reference desk. ​